Between the Here, Between the Now
by MasterMind13
Summary: What Aisling did after Brendan's death leading to the fateful night.


**Hey, another round of applause for me. ^_^ I got the idea after I watched _Song of the Sea_ for the first time last month. :) It was really cute and heartwarming. **

**Anyways, I got the idea after I saw Aisling on the bus, and I sort of got inspired. :3 So, after a month of brainstorming and coming up with a good storyline, I came up with this. I used a line from the song itself for the title. **

**If I got a few things wrong, I'm sorry; I don't travel a lot. Besides, what else was Aisling gonna do for a few centuries? **

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Aisling stood on the edge of the sea, watching the events unfold. Up above was the shower of light. Her kind. The portal to Tír na nÓg was opened and her kind would be returned home. And with the help of Saoirse, the selkie.

Since before she met Brendan, Macha the Owl Witch turned Mac Lir to stone, deeming feelings of any kind as poison. Aisling escaped, choosing to watch over her forest. Centuries passed, and the world changed with it. Aisling on the other hand stayed the same. Fairies don't age, and after Brendan died, and all her other friends also died, Aisling set out to keep watch over her forest and look for the selkie who would bring them home.

As she entered the modern world, Aisling's forest was demolished for construction, forcing her to flee. She resorted to adapting to the hustle and bustle of city life, a change from the serene solitude she had in her forest. It proved to be a challenge, but she managed. She hid during the day and went out at night, believing it to be better than conforming to a human life: attending school, eating human food (though Aisling could digest it), wearing their clothes, explaining her situation.

Aisling found a few fairies living in the city. A trio of fairies living in a concealed home in the middle of the road. Lug, Mossy and Spud. Their home was hidden from humans among a foliage of bushes. Aisling spent most of the time with them, keeping them company and protecting them from Macha's owls. The rest of their brothers were stone, having only each other, but it wasn't enough. During her nightly musings, she would start thinking about Brendan and Pangur Ban, and how she would miss them. The Abbey of Kells was still there, open for tourists, but not for her, being a fairy.

And then, Aisling found her in the city. The selkie. She saw her on the city bus. When she and her human brother left. Aisling decided to follow. Of course, she made it so they wouldn't see her. Being a fairy meant she could shapeshift into anything she wanted. Animals being the obvious choice. Before her death, Aisling copied Pangur Ban's form. Her cat form looked like Pangur Ban's save for Aisling having green eyes and the cat having one green eye and one blue one. After the bus retuned to the city, Aisling went to see the Daoine Sidhe who were half turned to stone, only their faces were still flesh. They told her the selkie was here, and Aisling's suspicions were right. Saoirse was a selkie. The one she was looking for. She made her way out of the city and back to the countryside in the form of a dove.

Once in the country she transformed into her trademark wolf form and followed Ben and Saoirse. She found them hiding in a holy well, a drawback. Being a fairy, she could not enter a holy place, remembering when she freed Brendan from his tower. So she stayed behind and watched from the safety of the trees. Then things heated up when Ben and Saoirse dove into the well. Aisling panicked, but calmed down when she remembered they would find the Great Seanachai. He was a funny old man, but his hairs held the history of Ireland. Aisling stayed in the forest to await the selkie's song, which was being sung right now.

"We finally did it my friends," she said, looking up at the golden light of fairies making their way to Tír na nÓg. The portal would only be opened until Saoirse finished her song.

Aisling turned her attention to the night sky, at the stars. She focused on a certain star.

"He's a lot like you, Brendan," said Aisling, smiling. "I wonder whether he's your descendant or not." She beamed. "You always found a way to help Kells, even when it was destroyed. Even after you died." Aisling suddenly felt a few tears well up in her eyes, but she fought them back, remembering she wouldn't cry.

After everything she's been through. The Northmen invading her home. Escaping Crom Cruach and watching her mother die at his hand. Meeting Brendan and helping him create the Book of Kells. Watching over her forest and seeing its demolishment.

The gold streaks were beginning to fade and the portal was about to close. Aisling acted fast and morphed into her salmon form and dove into the water. Swiftly swimming through the water, her fairy eyes caught everything in sight. A white shape brushed past her. Aisling saw that it was a selkie. It didn't take her too long to figure out that this was Saoirse's mother. She followed after her. The selkie jumped out of the water and Aisling floated in the water, poking her head out to the surface. She saw the selkie hold hands with her daughter Saoirse. Even though she couldn't hear them, Aisling knew they were begging for her to change her mind. She waited for a few seconds, and in the end, Saoirse chose to stay behind with her human family and gave up her sealcoat. Aisling was happy for her, and watched her mother dive back into the water.

Aisling swam up to the selkie.

_She did the right thing,_ said Aisling through telepathy. The selkie looked at her curiously. _I'm only saying that she has to be where they need her_.

_I suppose you're right_. replied the selkie.

_My name is Aisling_. said Aisling.

_Bronagh. Likewise._

The two swam through the sea, reaching the entrance to Tír na nÓg. They reached the water's edge and both dove out of the water and morphed back into their land forms. Looking at her close, Bronagh resembled Saoirse but as an adult. Like mother, like daughter, Aisling supposed.

Tír na nÓg was beautiful. It resembled an earthly forest but fairer. The sun was always shining and the season was always summer. Mountains could be seen in the distance, and sprigs of flowers shot out of the ground. She saw Mac Lir and his mother Macha reunited standing a distance away. By the shore was the trio: Lug, Mossy and Spud playing their instruments. They were happily celebrating their return to their home. Aisling stepped out of the water and spotted a streak of white hair. The Great Seanachai.

Bronagh approached her.

"It just doesn't feel right," said Aisling. "That I'm here, I mean. I've lived in the human world so long that I feel a part of it."

"I know what you mean," said Bronagh. She looked over her shoulder. The portal was closed, but she could still feel it lingering. "I've been waiting for the day my daughter would be reunited with me, but I guess, deep down, I knew she belonged with them. My family."

"You could have stayed," reiterated Aisling.

"It wouldn't work."

Silence thundered between them. Everyone else was enjoying themselves and Aisling couldn't be more happier. She wished Brendan were here to see this.

"I miss them," said Aisling. "Brendan, Pangur Ban, Brother Aiden, Abbot Cellach. They were my first company after my parents' deaths. Brendan did many wonderful things after his uncle's death. He finished the Book of Kells, which is still being studied. But I can never forget his smile."

Bronagh smiled. "While we're here maybe you'd like to be my friend."

Aisling perked up a bit.

"And maybe you can tell me about this book your friend created."

The white-haired fairy smiled and nodded.

Bronagh, with Aisling by her side, walked to the treeline, eager to hear more about Aisling's exploits, and perhaps, tell her what she's accomplished.

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**Well, there you have it. Another fanfiction from me. ^_^ I'm getting better at these. I just don't want to stop. Also, I'd like to think Aisling can still visit the mortal realm. **


End file.
